special moments, smiles, stars and sunshine…in a friend’s life

So, it all started early in the morning. I was optimistically looking forward to an energetic day. It was a usual Karachi day of May; the sun was blazing high in the sky with a frequent sea breeze. After giving my thumb impression at 09:09, I marched towards ladies’ room to freshen up myself. Where the ladies’ room serves as a place for a loo break it also serves as a meeting place for ladies of our office, where early morning they share the happenings of the past day and their routine chit chat. As soon I completed the touch-up and ready to leave I saw my colleague Laiba coming toward the restroom. I stopped to greet her. She was looking exceptionally radiant. And, being her good friend asked her bluntly the reason of her beaming.

And, with rosy cheeks and “dentonic” smile, she poured her heart out to me…”I am getting betrothed”. Can something other than that sound so wonderful? No, it can’t. Can any other news be as good? No, not at all.

It was a pleasant surprise. Laiba was smiling, laughing, blushing and beaming with joy simultaneously. She never looked this much beautiful before. The contentment and the satisfaction were evident from her every expression. And, I think this contentment of heart and soul is everything; which makes life beautiful.

Seeing your friend happy and cheerful feels so great that it cannot be expressed in words. Laiba is very happy MashaAllah and looking forward to a new start with someone who will take care of her in the entire journey of life.

I am looking forward to the days when she will cut down her lunch time and will talk to her fiancée religiously. I know she is going to be a little cheesy. She will be waiting for the SMS and calls of that Prince Charming. She is going to wear all the colours he likes and will eat all the things he likes. Her mood will be off if he will not call and will brighten up if he will send her early morning SMS. And, being her friend I am going to witness all these lovey-dovey small things.

All I want is seeing her smiling and beaming always. I am happy because she is happy and her early morning news made my day. I just pray to Allah for helping her in all walks of life and bestow upon her His Best of the Best Blessings. I wish for her a very happy married life and “live happily ever after”.

My Life, the way I see it…

2016!

So I wanted to write something for a long time; a little write up on the Blessings and Hopes for the future, or a note on a New Year Resolution. But because of my busy schedule and a little laziness, I was unable to do so.

It’s May and finally, I am writing about 2016 (ahan! The special year): my blessings of today, hopes for the future and reminisce of the past decade. This year I am going to turn “30”. Oh! The big number. I used to dread this number when I was in my early twenties. I used to think that at thirty people get old. But TA-DA I am not! I do not feel it. I feel younger, smarter and more energetic. I am more enthusiastic and feel comfortable.

The past decade was a roller coaster ride, with ups and downs and lots of bumps. A lot of time I shrieked with joy and at others I lamented profusely. Where the early twenties was a time to experience girlhood, university, and new hobbies; the late twenties was particularly revolved around learning. Now when I look  back and contemplate, I find that I am a better person today than yesterday and have come a long way. The matters of the early twenties, which at that time were matters of life and death, seem a mere joke. I laugh at them and think what a fool I was! But then I feel this is how things were written. I am happy because I experienced things as they came into my way. I was honest and have never cheated. Whether it was my school or university, I enjoyed my each ‘age’. I bunked classes, I wandered aimlessly with friends, I had crushes, I spent sleepless nights in reading novels and listening FM, I was a diehard fan of Shahrukh Khan, I was a music lover; wasted a huge amount of money on cassettes, I played —cricket, badminton, Oonch Neech, Baraf Pani, Langri Pala and all the other games that the kids of 80s used to play, I smoked, I prayed, I cried, I laughed, I loved, and most importantly I lived and I am living.

So far I have learnt:

• I am a very different person from people around me because my fingerprints are unique, so is my smile, and so is my attitude. I respect people for their individuality and I expect same from others.

• The notion of secrecy of periods or sex NOW does not bother me at all. I consider all these taboo things highly natural and nothing to be ashamed of to discuss, as human beings are by default born with this (except some; my review on Fire is a living proof of this). If somebody  thinks that the literature or the movies or my independence has spoiled me… alright! If someone thinks I have a feminist approach, I have. If someone thinks that I am ultramodern, I am. Why do you care so much about me?

• Eventually, I have realised that during the journey of life some people boarded your bus and some left. Some come into your life as a blessing and some to teach you a lesson. I have let go many acquaintances and toxic people; nonetheless, I have ended up with two or three people to whom I can call friends. And this feels good!

• I do not regret about anything. I strongly believe that whatever happens, happens for a reason. It is He Who plans. He is the Master Planner. We can only desire; things will occur on His commands and on His wishes. Therefore, I have stopped being crazy about the things which I cannot change. I just ask for His Forgiveness and His Mercy.

• I have complete faith in the theory of Karma. Therefore, I try to do nice things (though many times I fail). When something bad happens, I just turn towards Allah. He is all Seeing, all Hearing, and all Knowing. Talking to Him makes things easier for me and I leave everything to Him.

• I do not take my life for granted. That is because I have been through times when I felt like I wouldn’t be able to see the light of the next day… but I survived (meh.). And these hard times made me appreciate the beauty of the ephemeral life and admire whatever the blessings I have.

• I have started taking care of my time. I firmly believe that I am sent into this world for a purpose and my time is very precious. I have so much on my plate Alhamdolillah! I am a multi-talented person and capable of doing many things (it is a matter of fact; not blowing my own trumpet) therefore I try to invest my time in the activities from which I can make a difference.

• In bad times, I keep repeating this: This shall pass too… it gives me a little courage and hope for the future. If bad times do not last longer so will the good time, therefore I try hard to do good deeds and thank Allah for all the blessings He bestowed upon me.

• Though I do not feel like or, seems like I am aging but it’s very natural, I am aging. I pay a short visit to a spa every month to rejuvenate and relax because I matter for myself. I try to eat healthy for staying fit and fresh (hahaha… what a joke!). And firmly believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

• Finally, I have learnt the art of saving money. I have money to eat whatever I like, and buy whatever the clothing brand I like. I have sufficient amount to buy a new gadget/laptop and adequate amount to travel.

• One of the best of the best ayahs that I recite more than anything else is:

انا للہ و انا الیہ راجعون

Indeed we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return.

The best thing that happened to me was Karwan e Urdu.

The worst thing that happened to me was… I don’t want to pen it down.

The thing that made me exhilarated was the promotion from the Coordinator to the Editor and then to the Deputy Manager.

The last ten years are really significant in my life and I think I will never forget these years. During these years, I got my first job, my first paycheck, oh yeah first kiss, first phone, read world’s best literature, became an entrepreneur; started epic,  joined IBA, dined in the country’s top restaurants, and I stumbled and failed a lot of times.

Life is not as bad as it sometimes feels. We all have our mood swings, Monday Blues and No Money Days. We all experience meltdowns. But what’s important is we believe, we trust and we go on.